Homily: Feast of St. James

Feast of St. James (Mt. 20:20-28) “Doubter Turns into a Believer”

St. James was a fisherman when Jesus called him to be an apostle. He is known as James the Greater to distinguish him from the other James on the list of the Apostles. James was the brother of John. They were known as the Sons of Zebedee.

He was one of the three Apostles who were closest to Jesus along with Peter and John. The three of them, according to tradition had special experiences with Jesus that the other Apostles did not have. Peter, James and John were present at the Transfiguration. The other followers of Jesus were not on the Mountain at that moment.

James was likely a relative of Jesus. His mother might have been a sister to Mary. Often cousins were referred to as brothers in the culture in which Jesus live. This meant that they Jesus and James were raised in the same village, perhaps the same house. We could speculate that Jesus and Mary lived with James when St. Joseph died.

At first the relatives of Jesus had a hard time believing that he had a special religious mission. We remember that the mother and brothers came to take Jesus away at the beginning of his ministry (Mk 3:31). Perhaps they feared that the things he was doing and saying were going to get him into trouble.

Only over time did the family of Jesus accept him and his message. And then they became leaders in the Christian movement. James seemed to be a leader in the church in Jerusalem in the first century. He went from being a doubter to one of Jesus’ staunchest supporters. In fact, it is held that James was the first Apostle to be martyred.

Sometimes we may doubt our relatives when they have a call that we do not. We can see leaders throughout history who struggle with doubting family members. Maybe, at some level it is jealousy. Or perhaps the relatives say that they knew the person when they were growing up and that the famous relative had flaws like everyone else. These can be feelings within families. We remember James as a man who was wise enough to overcome these feelings and accept the Gospel. Perhaps that he was St. James the Greater.

1.    Is there a family member that I am envious of? Who? Why?

2.   Can I accept this family member’s gifts? Why or why not?

 Dear Parishioners,

           The Feast of St. James is often affiliated with the pilgrimage to Compostela in Spain. Tradition has it that James preached in Spain and died there although this would contradict other traditions about him. Another idea is that his body was taken from Jerusalem to Compostela and buried there. This might be more plausible.

          The pilgrimage route stretches across northern Spain and thousands of hikers walk the trail trying to arrive in Compostela on the Feast of James. It is said that many graces come to the people who make the journey. I know people who have made the trip and it has been special for them. It is on my bucket list, but I will probably need to be satisfied with the hikes I take several times a week. Walking is said to be one of the best therapies. I certainly find it to be so, especially if one can be immersed in nature. It is one of the best spiritual experiences we can have.

          May our Lady protect us on the journey,

          Fr. Mark